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REPORT OF CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN
CAMBERWELL CHEST CLINIC.
The work of this Department continued to run at a high
level. During the year 15,268 units of X ray work were
carried out and there were 12,225 outpatient attendances.
Five thousand five hundred and twenty-two new cases were
X-rayed and a total of 2,001 newpatients had full clinical
examinations. One hundred and fifty four patients were
admitted to St. Giles Hospital for treatment and 142 to
neighbouring hospitals. Sixty-nine patients were admitted
to sanatoria for treatment of their tuberculosis, The
number of cases on the tuberculosis register fell to
and the details of the newly-notified cases appear on
page 60 in the appendix to this report.
There were 20 deaths due to tuberculosis - 17 men,
an increase of 6 over the previous year, and 3 women, 4
less than the previous year.
The incidence of carcinoma of the lung continues at
its high rate. Many patients are referred for investigation
of their chronic bronchitis and those who give up smoking
are willing to admit that they feel better in every way.
General practitioners are very co-operative in treating
the secondary infection that is so troublesome in the winter
among bronchi tics and one has the impression that the number
of cases of acute pneumonia has not been great during the
winter of 1961. There was a small epidemic of influenza
and those bronchitic patients who had received influenza
vaccine did acquire some resistance to the influenza virus.
The occasional case of acute pulmonary tuberculosis
has occurred but no case where the organisms are resistant
to the usual three anti tuberculous drugs has been found.
Ten patients are known to be excreting tubercle bacilli
resistant to one of the three drugs - these patients certainly
present a public health hazard and the health visitors pi ay
a large part in ensuring that these patients take every
precaution in the disposal of their sputum and in matters
of general hygiene. It is probable that some form of national
registration of patients excreting resistant tubercle
bacilli will be evolved in order that the size of the
problem can be assessed and methods for coping with it
devised. *
*(A Ministry circular of 6.6.62 announces the setting up
of such a central register.)